The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 496: Plans Awry

Chapter 496: Plans Awry

"It’s not possible!" the inquisitor said with a gasp, his eyes growing wide. The other priests and Church soldiers stiffened, equally shocked. Fear flickered in their eyes and across their faces, their expressions growing dark.

"Damn it! Where is she?" another soldier cried, his voice trilling with fear. "Why did she leave?"

"Kill them," I said softly, stumbling over the words. "We can’t leave anyone behind."

The Star Guard had no such hesitation, lunging forward with weapons bright with mana. I flinched as the first screams rose, and the inquisitor fell, impaled on two of Kahlen’s swords. The rest of the soldiers and priests followed soon after, until the last lay in a pile of his own blood, the light fading from his eyes.

There was no time to waste, nor could I regret our actions. Every second was another chance for another one of the souls in my Nexus to go dark. They’d survived the curse as we had, but the battle outside must have been growing fiercer because I felt a few slipping away into death. My tail curled around my leg, my fingers tightening around Fable’s fur, but I couldn’t let them die.

In just a few seconds, the violent battle was over. Fable trotted up to the Shard, and I slipped from his back, avoiding looking at the pools of blood, my stomach twisting at the soft squelch beneath my boots. I reached up and laid a hand on the Shard, closing my eyes as I let its presence wash over me—swift and decisive, like an unruly current.

I waited a moment before committing my mana to see if the god within the Shard was present. When I felt nothing, my fingers curled into a half-fist pressed against the Shard, and I took a deep breath.

"Dispel magic," I whispered.

Immediately, the entire Shard shuddered. The device was deeply embedded in it, tendrils of mana extending to its very core. It was a massive endeavor that dwarfed any of the Heart Crest crystals I’d encountered until now. This one was clearly designed for permanency, no longer a test but a finished product. And had I not seen the vision, we would have lost our entire army to it.

It didn’t take me long to find the critical weaknesses scattered throughout the formation and attack them with my mana, tearing them apart. The small crystal pylons and chains around the Shard shattered one by one as the mana ran out of control. Fragments of crystals and steel filled the air but were stopped dead before they could touch us, blocked by my wards.

"Is it done?" Luxxa asked, standing beside me.

I nodded, and they all breathed an unconscious sigh of relief.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be," Jenna said. "But were they really so dumb to just let us waltz in and destroy it?"

Kahlen huffed, folding his arms, his swords humming angrily behind him. "Of course not. I could feel the Storm Hero’s presence lingering in the air. She was likely a part of these defenses. Pity she left; I would have enjoyed a good fight."

"That’s not our battle to fight," I said softly and turned from the Shard, not giving it another glance. My heart sank as another soul perished in the Nexus. We had to let Bethiv know it was safe so they could retreat and gather reinforcements.

"I got it," Jenna said, sensing my intentions. She waved her hand, and a small stream of mana left her soul, streaking out through the wall toward Beth. "Whispering Winds," her personal ability.

I smiled faintly at her, and she tossed her hair with an arrogant smile. "You can thank me later. Now, let’s get going."

Fable crouched, allowing me to climb onto his back again, and we made our way out of the cathedral. I spared a lingering glance behind us, a bittersweet ache in my heart. It had been a beautiful place, reminiscent of the grace and elegance of the Divine Throne. But now the windows were shattered, the walls scarred, and every statue was splattered with blood. It was fitting, in a way, that the gods finally had a taste of the consequences of their choices.

At first, the city outside seemed unchanged, but a sense of unease settled over me, a prickling sensation that made my chest tighten. Bethiv and his battalion had already moved on, and the area around the courtyard was eerily quiet. The sounds of battle and the screams of the city were distant and muted, but a palpable tension hung in the air, like the stillness before a storm.

Fable paused, sensing my unease, and Gith held up a hand, signaling us to stop.

"What is it?" Luxxa asked, her grip tightening on her sword, her eyes darting around warily.

He shook his head. "I’m... not sure. I can sense something on the edges of my range. Lots of somethings."

"Another trap?" Jenna asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "Aren’t they tired of those already?"

Gith shook his head. "No, it’s more like—" He froze, his eyes widening in alarm.

At the same time, my tail stiffened, a cold dread washing over me.

"Demons..." I whispered, the word heavy with foreboding.

Kahlen chuckled, folding his arms. "About time those bastards showed up."

"What do you know about this?" I demanded, whirling to face him.

He shrugged, his swords bobbing in the air, following the motion. "Nothing more than you. I simply found it suspicious that they would lie low while you did all the work for them. Now that the battle’s nearly over, it makes sense they would make their move. After all—" he gestured to the cathedral behind us "—the Shard is exposed now, and that’s all those greedy bastards can think about."

"Aren’t you one of them?" Luxxa asked, raising a disparaging eyebrow. "I saw you eyeing it when we were in there."

He grinned smugly, spreading his hands innocently. "I, too, am a demon, remember? But the Devoted are not so simple-minded as to be tempted by such transitory enticements."

"The Devoted?" she muttered.

It was the second time he’d mentioned this group, but I shook my head, dismissing the thought for now. "There’s time for that later. If the demons are about to descend on the city, we need to move quickly. There’s no guarantee they’ll let us escape any easier than the Church or Brithlite."

"Agreed," Luxxa said, nodding. "Our men will be exhausted after this is over. We can’t afford another battle right after."

"Wait," Gith interrupted, his brow furrowed as he peered in the opposite direction from where I sensed the demons. "There’s more."

"More demons? Did they send a flanking force?" Luxxa asked, her voice sharp.

A chill ran down my spine as he shook his head. The infernal presence was distant but unmistakable. I felt no such presence where Gith was looking. That could only mean—

"Another human army?" he whispered, his eyes widening in disbelief. "And massive, too. I can only sense the first few ranks, but judging by the breadth, it’s over ten thousand. Easily."

"Then we’d better hurry," I said.

Brithlite’s palace was the only structure untouched by the battle, protected by powerful enough wards to shield it from the shockwaves. A final display of gleaming gold, crystal, and light against the drab sky of ash and crackling lightning.

I glanced toward the approaching demon horde, then to where the mortal reinforcements came from. There just wasn’t enough time, but I had to save Elise, at least.

"Jenna," I said, looking at the blonde-haired mage. "Tell Bethiv we’re going in. We don’t have enough time to rendezvous."

She frowned, her lips forming a firm line, looking like she was about to protest. But after a moment, she nodded.

Before I could urge Fable forward, however, Luxxa reached up, touching my arm. I shivered as her fingers almost brushed the sunpurge, then blinked in surprise. She’d touched the middle of my forearm. The sunpurge hadn’t spread that before, right?

"My lady, what’s our plan?" she asked.

"To save her," I replied, avoiding her gaze.

"And if they have a trap prepared, something we can’t face just on our own?"

"I’m going to save her," I repeated. The tip of my tail flicked back and forth, but on the inside, I felt nothing but calm and resolute. The advancing sunpurge had surged since the battle began, far surpassing any of our estimates. It could have been anything from the strain I placed on my soul casting spells to the constant proximity of sun magic. Either way, anything after saving Elise would be a luxury, if not an outright dream.

"Very well," she said, dipping her head.

As we bounded across the courtyard, heading towards the palace’s main gates, Jenna looked around and asked, "Anyone seen Gayron? I thought he was right with us."

I shrugged, struggling to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "He must have gone to find Korra or something."

Gith shook his head and started to say something, then froze, his eyes widening.

"Above!" he cried, diving away.

His warning gave me just enough time to send a pulse of mana through the Nexus, strengthen our wards, and look up. For an instant, the sky was a formless mass of ash and cloud. The surface of the gray sea trembled a heartbeat, like a ripple passing over a pond. Then, directly above us, it split apart as a titanic pillar of light descended upon us.

Victor’s triumphant voice fell with it, reaching us at the same time as the seventh-circle spell.

"Judgment!"